Integrated Children's System

Pathway Plan

The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 requires a Pathway
Plan for all eligible, relevant and former relevant
young people. The Act defines an eligible young
person as one who is aged 16 or 17, who has been looked
after by the local authority for a total of 13 weeks since
the age of 14, and remains looked after. A relevant
young person is defined in the Act as a young person who
was previously an eligible young person but who
is no longer looked after and is under the age of 18.

The Pathway Plan fulfils the requirements
both for assessing the young person's needs and planning
services. The Pathway Plan replaces Part
Two of the Care Plan and Assessment
and Progress Record for all eligible children,
and is informed by previous Care Plans, Review
Records and Assessment and Progress Records.

The responsible authority must complete a Needs Assessment
within 3 months of a young person becoming an eligible
or relevant child whether he or she does so on turning
16 or later. It must also prepare a Pathway Plan
for eligible and relevant children, as soon as
possible after completing the needs assessment.

Arrangements to complete the Needs Assessment required
for the Pathway Plan and a timetable
for this assessment should be discussed and agreed at
the young person’s statutory review meeting prior
to their sixteenth birthday. The assessment should be
completed no later than three months after this date.

Young people should be actively involved in the assessment
and planning. To support their involvement in the process
a consultation document, My Pathway Plan, has
been developed to enable young people to give their views
on their needs and how these needs should be met.

Methods of assessment should take full account of the
young person’s communication skills and mobility
requirements. Where a young person requires additional
assistance to fully involve them in the assessment process
then this should be offered.

The following people should also be consulted unless
there is an exceptional reason not to do so:

young person’s parents, or others with
parental responsibility;

any person who cares for the young person on
a day to day basis;

a representative of the young person's school
or college;

the young person’s GP;

an Independent Visitor, where appointed;

any other person whom the responsible authority
or the young person considers relevant;

the Connexions Personal Adviser.

The Pathway Plan should also take account of any existing
assessments and plans relating to the young person. These
may include:

Assessment and Progress Record;

Care Plan;

Placement Information Record;

Personal Education Plan;

Health Plan;

Transition Plan.

The Pathway Plan records the social worker’s assessment
and is intended to provide a formal record of an agency’s
plan for a young person and the evidence upon which the
plan was based. The Pathway Plan, however, should be informed
by the views of the young person and other significant
adults and professionals in the young person’s life.

Key Features

The Pathway Plan is in two parts:

Part One records the assessed needs of the young
person;

Part Two records the actions and services required
to respond to the assessed needs and to provide
support during the transition to adulthood and
independence.

Part One: Needs Assessment

The same principles underpin the Pathway Plan
Needs Assessment as for all the other assessments of children
and young people. The Pathway Plan Needs
Assessment uses the same structure as the other assessment
records. It considers the young person’s needs in
relation to the seven developmental needs dimensions.
Parenting Capacity is assessed under the heading
of Support, as this heading is more relevant
and understandable to young people leaving care. The section
assessing the impact of Family and Environmental Factors
has two subheadings - Accommodation and Finance,
as these are two important areas where young people often
encounter difficulties.

The structure of the Needs Assessment is similar to other
assessments within the Integrated Children’s System.

The left hand side of the page in each
domain or dimension contains a number statements
which identify key issues that should be considered in
the assessment;

Tick boxes are used to indicate whether
the assessment has considered this issue and the practitioner’s
assessment of the young person’s needs;

The right hand side of the page provides
space is provided alongside the statements for practitioner’s
to record their notes and evidence.

The information gathered in the Needs Assessment
is pulled together in the Analysis Section and informs Part
Two of the Pathway Plan.

The Needs Assessment should not be used
mechanistically as a questionnaire. Nor
should any part of the Needs Assessment be given to the
young person or other person to complete. A good needs assessment
will draw on information from a variety of sources which
the practitioner will evaluate before recording their view
in the Pathway Plan.

Example: In completing
the needs assessment with George Hailes, aged 16, the
practitioner is informed by George’s carer, Mrs
Muldoon, that George, who is asthmatic, understands
the nature of his condition and takes responsibility
for his own medication. He is registered with a dentist
and GP.

In discussions with George about his health he tells
the practitioner that he is registered with a GP and
dentist. He has not been to see either for over six
months. He has a repeat prescription and uses his
medication as required. George has no idea what causes
his asthma attacks. Contact with George's Health Centre
(with his consent) reveals that George has never attended
the asthma clinic despite several appointments and
that his medication is to relieve rather than prevent
attacks.

In the Health section of the needs assessment the practitioner
recorded:

NEEDS ASSESSMENT – HEALTH

In completing this section it will be important
to agree with the young person the information about to
their health that they are happy to share with others. This
might include family members, carers, and other professionals
such as teachers.

Yes

No

Further Information

If the young person has any allergies
or any other medical conditions they fully understand
the nature of their condition

George is asthmatic and takes responsibility for managing
his condition. However he does not know what causes
his attacks. George has never attended the asthma clinic
to find out more about the causes and management of
his asthma and would benefit from doing so.

The young person takes responsibility
for obtaining treatment and taking any necessary medication

The young person is registered with a
GP and dentist

George has not been to see his dentist for over six
months and is therefore due another check.

In the practitioner’s opinion George
does not understand his condition and reason for this conclusion
is explained in the Further Information section.
The information about George’s registration with a
GP and dentist does not require comment. However, the practitioner
does record that George is due for a dental check.

Part Two: The Plan

The information gathered in during the Needs
Assessment should be used to inform Part Two of the Pathway
Plan, which records the plan for the young person.
The plan should be drawn up in partnership with the young
person.

The structure of the plan follows the same format as in
the Needs Assessment. The tabular format used for the Pathway
Plan is the same as for all plans within the Integrated
Children’s System.

For example the Health Section of George Hailes’
Pathway Plan included:

Identified needs and strengths in
each domain

How will these needs be responded
to: actions or services to be provided

Frequency and length of service: eg
hours per week

Person/
Agency responsible

Date Service will commence/
commenced

Planned outcomes: progress to
be achieved by next review or other specified date

George does not understand the causes of his asthma
and would like advice on its management

George to attend the asthma clinic.

1 initial visit

George to make appointment.

Mrs Muldoon to take George.

Within next 4 weeks

George will understand his asthma and will be able
to manage it more effectively.

George requires a dental check

George to see his dentist

Initial visit

George

Within next 4 weeks

George will have had a check up and any follow up
treatment.

At the end of each section there is a contingency plan,
which sets out the actions that will be taken if it becomes
clear that the original plan is no longer possible. The
young person should be encouraged to comment on their plans
and to highlight any areas where they are not in agreement.

Links to other records in the Integrated Children’s
System

The Pathway Plan and Care Plan

Where a young person has a Pathway
Plan and continues to be looked after by a
Council with Social Services Responsibilities, the Pathway
Plan will replace Part Two of the Care
Plan. Part One of the Care Plan,
which sets out the overall objectives of care or accommodation,
will remain in place and should continue to be reviewed
regularly in accordance with the Children Act 1989 Regulations
and Guidance. For many young people there may be an
opportunity to bring the review of the Care Plan and
Pathway Plan together into a single process.

In situations that require only Part
One of the Care Plan to be completed,
the final section of Part Two should
also be completed as this records the views of all
parties regarding the Care Plan and
asks for their signatures.

Using the Pathway Plan with an Assessment
and Progress Record

A young person’s first Pathway Plan
should be informed by their most recent Assessment
and Progress Record.

Once a young person has a Pathway
Plan in place it replaces the Assessment
and Progress Record.